THE REVIVAL TIMES

Vintage racing films have a way of pulling you back in time — not just to a place, but to a feeling. The 1963 Lake Garnett Grand Prix stands out as a moment when community spirit and pure motorsport passion met on the winding lakeside roads of Garnett, Kansas. This original footage isn’t just a video; it’s a living piece of history. It shows drivers in their element, cars in motion, and a crowd gathered to celebrate speed and skill in an era when road racing was deeply rooted in camaraderie and enthusiasm. A Classic Moment in Racing History By...

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Denny Hale, one of the founding forces behind the Lake Garnett Grand Prix Revival. This news comes at a particularly difficult time, as we just  opened registration for the 13th annal Revival. It serves as a reminder that while the Revival continues to grow and evolve, it is built on the dedication, generosity, and vision of people like Denny. In the earliest days, when the Lake Garnett Grand Prix Revival was little more than an idea, Denny stepped forward and helped turn that vision into reality. He generously provided...

Some moments from the past are worth revisiting — especially when they capture the roar of engines, the swirl of dust off vintage tires, and the unmistakable thrill of competition. The 1963 Lake Garnett Grand Prix stands as one of those unforgettable slices of motorsport history. This original footage doesn’t just show a race — it immerses you in it, placing you trackside with drivers, cars, and fans from a time when grassroots road racing was alive and thriving in communities across America. Watch closely and you’ll see why these early races helped spark a tradition that continues today with...

Original Article Credit: https://www.davemacdonald.net July 7th 1963 – Dave MacDonald and the Shelby American team arrive at Lake Garnett Kansas and a full blown Cobra vs Corvettebattle is about to go down. Dave will run Shelby team Cobra CSX2128 Legend has it that racer Bob Johnson – fresh off a June 30th 1963 victory at Watkins Glenn NY, was hauling his independant Cobra out to Kansas for the July 7th Lake Garnett Grand Prix. Johnson had just won the USRRC event in NY finishing just ahead of two Shelby American Cobras driven by Dave MacDonald & Ken Miles. Johnson was...

The 2025 Lake Garnett Grand Prix Revival Spirit of the Event Award recognizes an outstanding group of individuals and organizations whose dedication helps make the event possible each year. Congratulations to Paul Yeager, Scott Ward, Willie Helms, Rick Feuerborn, TT&T Towing (Mike Topp), the City of Garnett (Kris Hixx), Garnett Fire Department, St. Luke’s Anderson County Ambulance, Jon Mensie, and Rick VanTuyl. This award honors those who give their time, expertise, and support to ensure the revival runs smoothly and safely. From logistics and safety to behind-the-scenes coordination, their efforts reflect the strong community partnership that defines the Lake Garnett...

by Jason Pendleton View Original Document Freedom, freedom, freedom” chanted the swelling crowd of young people that had converged on the courthouse square to voice its anger over the arrests of its peers by local police. Late into the night of July 6, 1963, the local police and sheriff’s authorities stood face to face with an angry mob of more than two thousand. Acutely aware that the situation was moving beyond their ability to control, the local authorities sought assistance from the state police and the governor. Highway patrolman and other law enforcement authorities from as far away as the state capital raced...

Grace Harris was from Kansas City and loved racing airplanes and cars. She was the first FAA licensed balloonist. Grace knew Kansas Citian Mastin Gregory. Grace Harris won the 1959 Ladies Group at Lake Garnett in an English Elva MkII made by Frank Nichols. Elva was a corruption of “elle va” meaning “she goes.” Grace Harris won the Women’s Division of the Midwest Region SCCA in 1958, ’59 and ’60. In 1980 she wrote her book “West to the Sunrise” and has a scholarship in her name for female aviation students. Although this is not her car, it is very...

The 1968 Lake Garnett Grand Prix program reflects a later chapter in the original run of races. Its pages document the competitors, schedule, and community partnerships that kept the event thriving. As the racing world continued to evolve, Lake Garnett remained an important venue for drivers and fans alike. Thank you to Susan Wettstein for preserving and sharing this historic program.

Lake Garnett is an old historic “Ghost Track” at Garnett, KS that held famous SCCA races from 1959 to 1972. Many of the sports car greats raced there: Dave McDonald, Don Yenko, Ken Miles, Jack Hinkle, Jim Hall, Bob Johnson, Bob Aylward, Toly Arutunoff and KC legends Bob Hindson, Tom Newcomer, Grace Harris, Joe Egle and Woody Woodward. I never had the opportunity to see the races at Lake Garnett in the old days, but now I have the opportunity to actually run my 1949 MG TC on the very same road course as legends of sports car racing did....

Exciting news as we gear up for the 2024 Lake Garnett Grand Prix Revival. We’ve made some changes to the event segments for this year, which many of you have been requesting for the past several years and that will provide more options for track time. If you are planning on participating, we highly recommend that you read through all of this carefully. First and foremost, all event segments are a-la-carte and all of the track groups will have sessions on BOTH Saturday and Sunday. You can participate in as many or as few as you like, on one or...

Dear Lake Garnett Grand Prix Registrants: Thank you for your patience while we have sorted out the details on our 2018 event. It was gut-wrenching for us to have to postpone, but after receiving 11” of rain over a 36-hour period (and more intermittent rain over the weekend), the flooding at the track made holding the Revival an impossible proposition. As we previously announced, we have rescheduled this year’s event for Veterans Day weekend, November 9-11, 2018. We realize that an early November event in the Midwest is a roll-of-the-dice, but it’s historically been very pleasant that weekend, so we...

This red metal-on-wood plaque is a unique piece of Lake Garnett racing history. Featuring a detailed map of the lake with labeled corner names, it reflects the layout of the course that hosted multiple forms of motorsport during the 1960s. The plaque notes that the event was “Sanctioned by I.K.F.,” most likely referring to the International Kart Federation, a national karting sanctioning body established in the late 1950s. Kart racing events were held at Lake Garnett during the same era as the original Grand Prix road races, though they were separate competitions with their own organizers and sanctioning structure. While...

Here is some of the crew recruiting at the All Speed Expo for 2020. We had a great turn out and met lots of great folks while getting to talk about this years event for Lake Garnett Grand Prix Revival. We are holding the event October 9th, 10th and 11th which is the second weekend in October. The second weekend is always our goal unless, mother nature tells us otherwise. Look forward to seeing you on the track. Enjoy a few pics

There is a unique thrill in watching vintage racing footage — especially when it captures a moment in time that helped shape a community’s passion for motorsport. The 1961 Lake Garnett Grand Prix sits squarely in that place where history, enthusiasm, and pure racing spirit intersect. Just a few years after the original events began, this race showcased drivers and cars at the height of early American sports car competition — raw, spirited, and deeply connected to local fans. This video is more than moving images. It’s a window into a bygone era where the roar of engines echoed across...

We’re excited to officially announce a new partnership that just makes sense for the Lake Garnett Grand Prix Revival community. RacingJunk.com has become the Official Online Classifieds of the Lake Garnett Grand Prix Revival. For years, RacingJunk.com has been one of the most recognized and trusted online marketplaces in the motorsports world. Racers, builders, collectors, and enthusiasts from every corner of the automotive community have relied on RacingJunk.com to buy and sell race cars, project cars, parts, trailers, and just about anything else related to life at the track. If we’re being honest, many of us involved with the Revival...

This scanned program from the original 1959 Lake Garnett Grand Prix offers a detailed look at the event as it was presented to spectators more than six decades ago. Spanning approximately 28 pages, the program provides insight into the race schedule, participating drivers, sponsors, and the atmosphere surrounding one of the early years of the Grand Prix. It captures not only the competition itself, but the community support and organization that made the event possible. We are grateful to Susan Wettstein for preserving and sharing this remarkable piece of Lake Garnett Grand Prix history.

The weather was less than perfect this past November, but it still happened.  Due to issues with water over the dam, the 2018 Lake Garnett Grand Prix Revival had to be rescheduled to one of the COLDEST NOVEMBER WEEKENDS EVER! Nevertheless, the 5th annual vintage auto event was another huge success thanks to all the volunteers, the Committee Chairs, fans, sponsors and supporters who gave their time to make this event so worthwhile. In past years, LGGPR has donated thousands of dollars to area charities or civic groups, and this year three local organizations reaped the benefits of the 3-day affair.  $500...

Bob Icenberger raced at Lake Garnett back in the original days. His daughter Valerie connected me with Bob, and we had a fun interview. Bob raced a 1962 Sprite MKII that was coral pink and usually sported the SCCA national number 13. He raced all over: Grain Valley, Texas when Dick Smothers raced there; the airport in Shreveport, LA; War Bonnet in Oklahoma; Hallet when Paul Newman raced there and Bob even visited with Newman; Heartland in Topeka; the Greenwood Raceway in Iowa; an airport at Independence, Kansas; at Des Moines when Art Bunker was racing there with his Porsche;...

Yesterday marked a significant milestone as the resurfacing of the Lake Garnett Raceway was officially completed, ensuring the track’s legacy will endure for years to come. To celebrate this achievement, Tracy Modlin, president of the Lake Garnett Grand Prix Revival (LGGPR), presented a check for $90,428.60 to the Garnett City Commission last night, with the funds coming directly from the “Save the Track” initiative.  This fund, made possible by the generous donations of countless supporters, plus major contributions from the City of Garnett, Goppert State Service Bank, Kansas Tourism, Thrive Allen County, and McAnany Construction Inc., is a testament to...

Contributed by Brooks Laudin from the Cobra Experience They say a picture is worth a 1000 words. Some pictures are worth more than that, including this one (good for 2400 words) which was brought to our attention by a recent visitor to The Cobra Experience. Dan Haugh is from Kansas, was at this race as a 10-year old, and came out of his seat when this image from the 1963 race at Lake Garnett crossed the screen during our in-house movie at the museum. Like others before him, he suggested there was more to the story behind a simple image,...